9/20/13
9/4/08
8/29/08
MONGOLIA
WOW!!!
The beauty of Mongolian landscape lies far beyond words!! Here I found the great, wide nature I was already expecting in Russia (there I think I would have found it further north – maybe next time;).
No point in going to Ulan Bator in my eyes, but if you like rough nature, you must visit Mongolia.
Without any big problems I passed the border from Russia in about 1.5 hours. Don’t try to change money in a bank here, simply do it on the street.
As soon as I was riding in Mongolia I noticed the difference. By now there is still a road and a very good one. But the nature looks different. As I have my first stop, I notice that passing drivers slow down and check carefully if I am alright before they drive on.
I stop in Darhan and meet some American’s here. We have a nice night with Texas Holden.
The next day I ride on to Ulan-Bator. Arriving there, I am shocked by the traffic and the mess they have here. Everybody seems to think, that they would simply need to blow the horn and the road will belong to them. Because it does not work, they honk again and again.
We ride a few days threw the wilderness, visit Karakorin City and the White Lake. Wolfgang and I even go horse back riding.
I really enjoy Riding in Mongolia. Since there are no roads, but just tracks, you always try to find the best one. Somehow it is like kayaking. Unfortunately this is also why I have to finish my trip. One day we are riding through a valley and I think the track next to the one I just chose is much nicer and I think about shifting, but there is a big step in between, a too big step! So I don’t switch reasonable as I am!!! But again I think: But it IS nicer – no look at the pace! Well after a while everybody gets week, so I change the track. -- At least I try. My back wheel won’t make the step and Ina falls. So do I;) and I fall very bad, immediately my wrist hurts very bad. Fortunately after a while Wolfgang and Emil come back and help me. After a night and some sleep, my arm does not really feel better. We organise a lift to the next city. It takes 10h and my arm and rips (which also hurt) are often very badly shacked through – I think this was the worst day of my trip! In Murun I have my Arm as well as my rips x-rayed: my arm is broken and I need a cast for 4 weeks they tell me! Mongolia is a beautiful country but not the place to hang out for 4 weeks, so I decide to return to Switzerland. I sell INA :((( and TCS flies me home in business class, after 8 hours flight I am drunk as the flight attendant in Moscow wishes me a good morning at 10 o’clock.
In Switzerland they found two other bones broken and I still wear my cast after 7 weeks now!
The beauty of Mongolian landscape lies far beyond words!! Here I found the great, wide nature I was already expecting in Russia (there I think I would have found it further north – maybe next time;).
No point in going to Ulan Bator in my eyes, but if you like rough nature, you must visit Mongolia.
Without any big problems I passed the border from Russia in about 1.5 hours. Don’t try to change money in a bank here, simply do it on the street.
As soon as I was riding in Mongolia I noticed the difference. By now there is still a road and a very good one. But the nature looks different. As I have my first stop, I notice that passing drivers slow down and check carefully if I am alright before they drive on.
I stop in Darhan and meet some American’s here. We have a nice night with Texas Holden.
The next day I ride on to Ulan-Bator. Arriving there, I am shocked by the traffic and the mess they have here. Everybody seems to think, that they would simply need to blow the horn and the road will belong to them. Because it does not work, they honk again and again.
I experience the excesses after the elections in UB as well as the 4 day curfew-punishment.
"Wir dürfen 4 Tage keinen Alkohol verkaufen, aber ihr seid OK nach ein paar Bier - ja?"
Well, not all 4 days, because as soon as it does not rain anymore, I leave this noisy city! Too short after the rain I find out. In each and every dip, there is a big mud hole. Ina falls once to the left and once to the right, so both sides are nicely sprinkled now ;)
We ride a few days threw the wilderness, visit Karakorin City and the White Lake. Wolfgang and I even go horse back riding.
I really enjoy Riding in Mongolia. Since there are no roads, but just tracks, you always try to find the best one. Somehow it is like kayaking. Unfortunately this is also why I have to finish my trip. One day we are riding through a valley and I think the track next to the one I just chose is much nicer and I think about shifting, but there is a big step in between, a too big step! So I don’t switch reasonable as I am!!! But again I think: But it IS nicer – no look at the pace! Well after a while everybody gets week, so I change the track. -- At least I try. My back wheel won’t make the step and Ina falls. So do I;) and I fall very bad, immediately my wrist hurts very bad. Fortunately after a while Wolfgang and Emil come back and help me. After a night and some sleep, my arm does not really feel better. We organise a lift to the next city. It takes 10h and my arm and rips (which also hurt) are often very badly shacked through – I think this was the worst day of my trip! In Murun I have my Arm as well as my rips x-rayed: my arm is broken and I need a cast for 4 weeks they tell me! Mongolia is a beautiful country but not the place to hang out for 4 weeks, so I decide to return to Switzerland. I sell INA :((( and TCS flies me home in business class, after 8 hours flight I am drunk as the flight attendant in Moscow wishes me a good morning at 10 o’clock.
In Switzerland they found two other bones broken and I still wear my cast after 7 weeks now!
As mentioned, the landscape is extraordinary. Each valley we enter, we welcome with a big ahhh! You can not tell from a photo indeed, but at least you can try to imagine…
One of the many tourist camps
Emil
One of these very friendly Mongols
Storm rising
Many mixed herds
At the White Lake
Very Important: Have a rest when you are tired – no matter what!!!
8/20/08
THE ISLAND
After Miles and Miles through Siberia and a lot of parties and fun with Russian People, I decide to visit Olkhon, an island in Lake Baikal. Riding there, I leave the rain from Irkutsk behind me and am amazed about the ‘steppic’ Landscape. The road soon turns into a gravel road and Ina and me truly enjoy the ride. Waiting for the ferry, the rain catches us again, but it is far less burly then in the City. After one and a half hours the ferry arrives and – it is for free! In the Lonely Planet the description of the bus to The Island says: “… including ferry tax.” I guess this is how they sell the ticket to the dumb tourists. “Yes, it is a little expensive, but this is because of the ferry!” ;)
On The Island I easily find Nikita’s Homestead and I book a room for two nights, because I am not sure about the rain. The only fuel station on the island is out of gas, so I can not make too ling trips. Nevertheless I enjoy riding the ‘roads’ here without any luggage and I find a huge beach where I sunbathe naked, since I am the only human around. After I am warm enough, I take my maiden swim in Baikal! Very refreshing;)
At Nikita’s I meat many tourists, about 6 Swiss among them! For me it is a very welcome change to talk to Western people once again and we have such a nice time (as good weather), I decide to stay another two nights. Unfortunately the weather changes and because I am afraid of the slippery gravel roads, I stay another night. So I finally want to leave on my 5th day. My luggage is packed and everything attached to Ina. I go for a little passashok chai with Mike and Mona, but the dining room is closed so we only have a cigarette. While passashok Ina falls over and her clutch breaks. I sign in for another three nights, because I think it might take a while on The Island to fix this. But everybody helps me and - a few hours later I have a clutch from an Ural mounted. It will do it until Irkutsk, where I can get a proper clutch.
Although we were kidding about being 'stuck on The Island' it was a great time and the Nature there is just amazing!!!
On The Island I easily find Nikita’s Homestead and I book a room for two nights, because I am not sure about the rain. The only fuel station on the island is out of gas, so I can not make too ling trips. Nevertheless I enjoy riding the ‘roads’ here without any luggage and I find a huge beach where I sunbathe naked, since I am the only human around. After I am warm enough, I take my maiden swim in Baikal! Very refreshing;)
At Nikita’s I meat many tourists, about 6 Swiss among them! For me it is a very welcome change to talk to Western people once again and we have such a nice time (as good weather), I decide to stay another two nights. Unfortunately the weather changes and because I am afraid of the slippery gravel roads, I stay another night. So I finally want to leave on my 5th day. My luggage is packed and everything attached to Ina. I go for a little passashok chai with Mike and Mona, but the dining room is closed so we only have a cigarette. While passashok Ina falls over and her clutch breaks. I sign in for another three nights, because I think it might take a while on The Island to fix this. But everybody helps me and - a few hours later I have a clutch from an Ural mounted. It will do it until Irkutsk, where I can get a proper clutch.
Although we were kidding about being 'stuck on The Island' it was a great time and the Nature there is just amazing!!!
btw: Lame birds sing of freedom, free birds fly!
7/28/08
About the Name of this Blog or about plans
I don’t really know why I have called this blog bern-vladivostok since I was never sure weather I would really reach Vladivostok as many of you know. While I was travelling, I have heard many very nice stories about southern Russia and also about Ukraine. On the other hand, when looking at the map you can see, that from lake Baikal to Vladivostok there is just one road about 3500km which I would have had to go forth an back. So I decided to head back from lake Baikal through Mongolia, enter Russia at the Altai mountains again and take some time for southern Russia and Ukraine.
But maybe I chose this name on purpose to tell you some words about my way of travelling and of making plans…
Because the only meaning of plans (travelling plans) is to change them! My plans are always only very major and the details are decided on the road. Since you can n ever tell the certain circumstances you will find once you really reached a place and you should be free to react on them. Even the major plans can change once you are on the road (which I did with deciding to not go to Vladivostok). This in my eyes is what makes travelling a real adventure. If you just have to stick to your schedules, you miss many opportunities which just show up on your way. I have met a few backpackers who have planned their whole trip with the Transsib. They have bought all the tickets and therefore have a fixed schedule and they can only (or have to) stay in each city as long as they have planned at home. All of these travellers regret their fixed timetable!
But maybe I chose this name on purpose to tell you some words about my way of travelling and of making plans…
Because the only meaning of plans (travelling plans) is to change them! My plans are always only very major and the details are decided on the road. Since you can n ever tell the certain circumstances you will find once you really reached a place and you should be free to react on them. Even the major plans can change once you are on the road (which I did with deciding to not go to Vladivostok). This in my eyes is what makes travelling a real adventure. If you just have to stick to your schedules, you miss many opportunities which just show up on your way. I have met a few backpackers who have planned their whole trip with the Transsib. They have bought all the tickets and therefore have a fixed schedule and they can only (or have to) stay in each city as long as they have planned at home. All of these travellers regret their fixed timetable!
7/3/08
SIBERIA
Long straight roads through a whole lot of green nothing invite me to meditate while Ina does the driving. I think about God and the world, my past life and my future. With many trees and some hills, the landscape is not as open as I have thought it would be. I have to learn that here in the south I pass the Taiga and not the Tundra. Still it’s a strong impression you get, watching this nature, just driving for hours and you can not tell, that you have moved because nothing has changed.
The roads are sometimes very European
and sometimes less.
Anyway you have to beware of holes all the time.
I pass very nice and also not so nice Cities. In each of them I meet great friendly and hospitable people however. They show me around town, tell me about their life in Russia and we just. It’s them who make my trip rich and colorful.
In Omsk I can drink a beer while swimming in a pool and waiting for dinner to be prepared. Also I have a great chat in German with beautiful, charming Lena.
In Novosibirsk I have the opportunity to do something for our nature by helping to clean the beach of Obskaya More and see a great jazz concert.
In Krasnoyarsk I celebrate the cities birthday with enchanting Natasha and friends, also I climb the rocks. I wonder what it is, that makes Swiss people climb every peak they see when they are abroad.
On the other hand, I enjoy nights in the wild Russian nature, bothered only by mosquitoes.
I am afraid this is all I can tell you. The whole big rest, is not expressible in plain words, you would have to experience it to understand it.
One word about daydreams maybe:
As I easy cruise with 100km/h suddenly a big hole appears on my lane. I try to draw aside, but I hit the rim and it cuts my front tire – pfffff and BADABUMM – BIG BADABUMM – Ina and me fly through the air. As we land we flip over and over until we end up in the ditch, both of us not looking too well. All the cars just pass bye, because they think it is a mean makeup. I lay there wishing I would be struggling with AC and WD and have never left save and cozy Switzerland…
These are thoughts that come to my head when I see one of those many busted truck tires on the road, asking myself how they always break. Or I simply dream of Olga or Lena which is indeed much nicer ;)
The roads are sometimes very European
and sometimes less.
Anyway you have to beware of holes all the time.
I pass very nice and also not so nice Cities. In each of them I meet great friendly and hospitable people however. They show me around town, tell me about their life in Russia and we just. It’s them who make my trip rich and colorful.
In Omsk I can drink a beer while swimming in a pool and waiting for dinner to be prepared. Also I have a great chat in German with beautiful, charming Lena.
In Novosibirsk I have the opportunity to do something for our nature by helping to clean the beach of Obskaya More and see a great jazz concert.
In Krasnoyarsk I celebrate the cities birthday with enchanting Natasha and friends, also I climb the rocks. I wonder what it is, that makes Swiss people climb every peak they see when they are abroad.
On the other hand, I enjoy nights in the wild Russian nature, bothered only by mosquitoes.
I am afraid this is all I can tell you. The whole big rest, is not expressible in plain words, you would have to experience it to understand it.
One word about daydreams maybe:
As I easy cruise with 100km/h suddenly a big hole appears on my lane. I try to draw aside, but I hit the rim and it cuts my front tire – pfffff and BADABUMM – BIG BADABUMM – Ina and me fly through the air. As we land we flip over and over until we end up in the ditch, both of us not looking too well. All the cars just pass bye, because they think it is a mean makeup. I lay there wishing I would be struggling with AC and WD and have never left save and cozy Switzerland…
These are thoughts that come to my head when I see one of those many busted truck tires on the road, asking myself how they always break. Or I simply dream of Olga or Lena which is indeed much nicer ;)
Have you heard: That Ewen and Charly have stolen my very first Idea and made the long way down?
6/10/08
THE URALS
Unfortunately the weather was very bad when I crossed the Urals. Rain, rain, fog and some rain.
Anyway you have to concentrate on the road very much, here in Russia. When your visor is wet and dirty and you don’t see anything it is very exhausting to drive and you don’t have time to look around. Apart from this, you could anyway not see too much, since everything was covered with mist. But what I have seen promised a very nice landscape. Also I have watched very nice pictures of the Urals at Sergei and Sweta’s place. So I hope to be luckier with the weather when I pass the Urals on my way back. For this time, I just drove on.
So all I can show you are some pictures of the Cities.
Giving an autograph in Jekaterinburg
The church of death
The bridge of marriage
Meeting some bikers in Tyumen
And Remember Folks: There is always a bigger hole!
Anyway you have to concentrate on the road very much, here in Russia. When your visor is wet and dirty and you don’t see anything it is very exhausting to drive and you don’t have time to look around. Apart from this, you could anyway not see too much, since everything was covered with mist. But what I have seen promised a very nice landscape. Also I have watched very nice pictures of the Urals at Sergei and Sweta’s place. So I hope to be luckier with the weather when I pass the Urals on my way back. For this time, I just drove on.
So all I can show you are some pictures of the Cities.
Giving an autograph in Jekaterinburg The church of deathThe bridge of marriageMeeting some bikers in TyumenAnd Remember Folks: There is always a bigger hole!
5/22/08
Western Russia
After Moscow I visited the Golden Ring. I have seen Vladimir, Bogolyubovo and Suzdal. There you can see as many churches as in the entire Switzerland. In Vladimir I met some Bikers from Holland. They are on a guided(!) tour through Russia. They mainly see Moscow, the Golden Ring and SPb within 3 Weeks. The guides of this tour are 2 guys who used to travel the world, so now they just share their experience and make some money with it. Maybe something for my future? I don’t think so…
The church of the intercession and the monastery in Bogolyubovo
In Nizhny Novgorod I lingered the bank of the Volga as well as Bolshaya Pokrovskaya ul. I tried to buy some new Jeans there, since mine are busted already. But what they sell there looks like my Jeans, worn out ad with holes. So this was not really what I wanted. Later in Ufa Irina will help me to find some new and firm Jeans.
The weather by now seems to be quite nice, until I am in Kazan. I arrive there on a sunny day. But the next day it is windy, rainy and very cold. Nevertheless I go to visit the Peter & Paul Cathedral and the Kremlin. But after, I just go for a tea in a very cozy Restaurant. Later I hear, it has even been snowing while I sat there.
Would you like tea or beer?
The church of the intercession and the monastery in Bogolyubovo
In Nizhny Novgorod I lingered the bank of the Volga as well as Bolshaya Pokrovskaya ul. I tried to buy some new Jeans there, since mine are busted already. But what they sell there looks like my Jeans, worn out ad with holes. So this was not really what I wanted. Later in Ufa Irina will help me to find some new and firm Jeans.
The weather by now seems to be quite nice, until I am in Kazan. I arrive there on a sunny day. But the next day it is windy, rainy and very cold. Nevertheless I go to visit the Peter & Paul Cathedral and the Kremlin. But after, I just go for a tea in a very cozy Restaurant. Later I hear, it has even been snowing while I sat there.
Would you like tea or beer?
I have a great chat about god and the world with Masha and I dream about my childhood and the Ecole. Facing the bad weather – although it is nicer then the day before, I head on the next day. To some of you I have shoed my map of Russia and have told you, that I will have my problems, when the north is in the upper middle and not just parallel up. Since Swiss Surveyors - and I guess, I am still one of them - are just used to transformed orthogonal maps. In Kazan the detailed part of my map (which is orthogonal) ends and I have to change to the map of all Russia where the north is in the upper middle. This might be part of the reason I didn’t get out of Kazan (I also took the wrong road in the beginning). So in the direction I felt I should go, I could only find signs to Оренбург which I could not find on the map, or to Nizhny Novgarad where I didn’t want to go. After a few turns and riding circles I finally decided, to follow this sign out of town. When I was finally on the real road to Оренбург I saw that the distance was not a few kilometers as I had expected, but over 700. With this distance I could draw a circle and I finally found Оренбург on my map. As you might predict, it was further south then my target Ufa. But I decided to stick to this road and I think it was a good decision. There were far less trucks and in the periods when it was not raining, I really enjoyed the ride.
Ufa is a beautiful City, it is very clean and very green with many trees and nice parks and even most of the streets are quite good. I meet very nice people here and decide to stay a little.
The Mosques in Kazan and Ufa are very interesting, since they are very modern and I am used to very old mosques.
Ufa is a beautiful City, it is very clean and very green with many trees and nice parks and even most of the streets are quite good. I meet very nice people here and decide to stay a little.
The Mosques in Kazan and Ufa are very interesting, since they are very modern and I am used to very old mosques.
The Mosque in Kazan - Sorry folks, I was not allowed to take pictures inside ;)
So after a little отдыхать I will enter the Urals, let's see what awaits me there…
By the way: Two beer or not two beer? This is still the question, Vodka I just have sometimes as a welcome drink. And my посошок is a Cigarette, sometimes with tea and no Vodka since on Russian roads it's 0.0!
By the way: Two beer or not two beer? This is still the question, Vodka I just have sometimes as a welcome drink. And my посошок is a Cigarette, sometimes with tea and no Vodka since on Russian roads it's 0.0!
5/21/08
The Reaction
I want to tell you something about the reaction of people when I am telling about my trip.
While in Switzerland the reaction was mainly:
- “Cool!”
- “Such a long vacation!”
- “Vladivostok???”
- “Such an adventure!”
- “Isn’t it dangerous?”
- “You will be an alcoholic after.”
Here in Russia the main reaction is: Wide starring eyes, an open mouth and a very slow and unbelieving shaking of the head.
The second reaction is: “You are crazy!”
And the third reaction (which in the result is the same, just the people are more self-confident – but this is not a Sigmund blog here…) “You must be very brave.”
But on the other hand I had a very interesting conversation in Vladimir. I was waiting for my host on Ploshad Sobornaya, when this man walked up to me from behind (so he saw Ina’s number plate) and started to talk to me in English: “So you are from Switzerland?” I was first of all very surprised, that he spoke English, secondly I was surprised, he could tell from the number plate where I was from, because usually, they have no Idea. So I just nodded and said “Y-yes”. And the guy looked at Ina a little and then asked: “And you are going to Vladivostok?” Can you imagine how transparent I felt? You are somewhere 5000 km from home. This guy can not only tell where you are from but he also knows you are going some place another 9000 km from here!
I know this stuff happened to Ewen Mc Gregor, but he is an actor and he announced his trip a long time before he started it and I am just an unknown nobody. So I answered: “Well yes, this is the plan, but how do you know???” He said: “At this place with such a bike and so much gear – what else could it be…” I was wordless!
While in Switzerland the reaction was mainly:
- “Cool!”
- “Such a long vacation!”
- “Vladivostok???”
- “Such an adventure!”
- “Isn’t it dangerous?”
- “You will be an alcoholic after.”
Here in Russia the main reaction is: Wide starring eyes, an open mouth and a very slow and unbelieving shaking of the head.
The second reaction is: “You are crazy!”
And the third reaction (which in the result is the same, just the people are more self-confident – but this is not a Sigmund blog here…) “You must be very brave.”
But on the other hand I had a very interesting conversation in Vladimir. I was waiting for my host on Ploshad Sobornaya, when this man walked up to me from behind (so he saw Ina’s number plate) and started to talk to me in English: “So you are from Switzerland?” I was first of all very surprised, that he spoke English, secondly I was surprised, he could tell from the number plate where I was from, because usually, they have no Idea. So I just nodded and said “Y-yes”. And the guy looked at Ina a little and then asked: “And you are going to Vladivostok?” Can you imagine how transparent I felt? You are somewhere 5000 km from home. This guy can not only tell where you are from but he also knows you are going some place another 9000 km from here!
I know this stuff happened to Ewen Mc Gregor, but he is an actor and he announced his trip a long time before he started it and I am just an unknown nobody. So I answered: “Well yes, this is the plan, but how do you know???” He said: “At this place with such a bike and so much gear – what else could it be…” I was wordless!
5/3/08
THE BEGINNING II
From Warsaw the road took us north-east to Grodno, the first City in Belarus. With the help of a friend of a friend of a friend of my host Kasja in Warsaw I found a hotel for me and a parking for Ina. In the hotel room(!) I cooked dinner and dried all my kitchen, since everything was wet, because Ina hasn't closed the water bottle properly;)
Yes - It IS a fox!
The Landscape in Belarus
Next day we drove to Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The roads here are very good and the landscape is beautiful! Also the weather is fine, so Ina and me enjoy the ride very much! In Minsk I met great people and spent a very good time.
Yes - It IS a fox!
Ira from Grodno told me, that there is a bike-festival there this weekend, so I decided to go back to Grodno to see this happening. It was quite cool – as there was beer, bikes and music! I slept in my tent the first time on this trip – does it count? Sunday I took the time to have a better look at Grodno which is a very nice little city – the only one with ancient buildings in Belarus, the only one I visit anyhow.
Back to Minsk and then to Gomel, the last City in Belarus already.
The Landscape in Belarus
In Gomel I meet a biker who is very worried about me and gives me many tips on what to do and what to not do… He also takes me to the border and helps me with all the paperwork – spassiba Kola!
I don’t have a stamp on my Visa for leaving Belarus as well as for entering Russia yet, but I am sure I can fix this in Moscow. In Bryansk I spent a great relaxing day, since it was raining and my hosts were very kind and caring. In the evening we visited a 1st May Concert and had some Baltika 8.
I have another stop before Mosow in Klimovsk. The next day I have the opportunity to wash my sins away in a holy spring near Chekov. So now I am a very pure person;)
What can I tell you about Moscow, that you cannot read in some book or in the Internet? For me it was too hectic and I was too unorganized for this city. So I think I will have to visit Moscow separately some day and head on.
Now the beginning is over and the adventure may start, read more in a few weeks...
Oh! By the way: всё будет хорошо! And I hope most of you know that...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
